Or do you - hopefully - let your body language give them the message?I have a situation coming up soon at work. We have a small break room and I am scheduled to have a short, half-hour break. Due to the nature of our business everyone has a different lunch break, but many peoples' breaks overlap. Breaks can range anywhere from 1/2 hour to 5 hours. Thus, some people end up with time to kill, and they are not afraid to impose.To make a long story short, I'm trying to decide if I should explain, as tactfully as possible, that I prefer to be left alone during my break, and that I generally do not want to talk. That I need alone time to recharge. Getting away is not an option. Not for 1/2 hour. If I had a long break it wouldn't be a problem to leave the premises. Do you come out and tell people to leave you alone?BTW, this is my first post. I just joined the forum.

I dunno, I find people at work just naturally succumb to my personality. They know I'm not an avid talker so they just let me slink into the background whilst other people have their talks. That's not to say I don't jump in from time to time, but they know me cos I don't pretend to be a talker. There's a good chance it's the same for you, just tell them if necessary that you're not in the mood for talking and they should, generally oblige. You'll start feeling comfortable then, especiallly if you're around the same people a lot.

Yes. Generally-------my coworkers know me and know that I like my solitude, but that I'm friendly and good company when I want to be. It's just that there are some less-sensitive individuals who insist upon imposing their company on you. Those are the ones I'm talking about.From my observations it seems that most folks grin and bear it and hope the offender tires and leaves. I'm considering being a bit more direct, but I'm also being cautious. Some folks are easily offended.